什么是信息？

想象一下，今天早上你睁开眼睛，看到窗外的天空是蓝色的，阳光从窗帘的缝隙里照进来。你听到了鸟儿的叫声，闻到了厨房里飘来的早餐香味。然后你从床上跳下来，跑到厨房，妈妈对你说：“今天要下雨，记得带伞！”这就是信息——它告诉你外面正在发生什么事情。

Now imagine this: you wake up in the morning and see blue sky through your window. Sunlight streams in through the curtains. You hear birds singing and smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Then you jump out of bed and run to the kitchen, where your mom says, "It's going to rain today—don't forget your umbrella!" That's information—it's telling you what's happening in the world around you.

信息其实就像空气一样，无处不在，你可能从来没有仔细想过它，但它一直都在你身边。每天从你醒来的那一刻起，信息就开始包围你了。早上妈妈叫起床的声音是信息，你看到的日历上是信息，电视里的天气预报是信息，老师写在黑板上的字是信息，甚至你和小伙伴聊天时说的每一句话都是信息。信息Information is actually like air—it's everywhere around you. You might never have thought about it before, but it's always there. From the moment you wake up each day, information surrounds you. Your mom's voice calling you to wake up is information. The calendar on the wall is information. The weather forecast on TV is information. The words your teacher writes on the blackboard are information. Even every sentence you speak when chatting with friends is information.

你有没有想过，信息到底是什么呢？科学家们会说，信息就是“告诉我们事情的文字、图片或声音”。简单来说，任何能够告诉你一些你之前不知道的事情的东西，都是信息。当你听到有人说“外面下雪了”，这就是信息；当你看到路牌上写着“前方学校”，这也是信息；当你翻开一本故事书，看到上面写着“从前有一只小兔子”，这还是信息。

Have you ever wondered what information actually is? Scientists would say that information is "words, pictures, or sounds that tell us things." Simply put, anything that tells you something you didn't know before is information. When someone tells you "it's snowing outside," that's information. When you see a sign that says "School Ahead," that's also information. When you open a storybook and read "Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit," that's information too.

信息在哪里 {#where-is-information}

让我们一起去找找信息都藏在哪些地方吧！信息的藏身之处可多了，比你想象的要多得多。

Let's go on a treasure hunt for information together! Information hides in many more places than you might think.

在家里 At Home

你家就像一个信息的宝箱！看看冰箱上贴的便签纸，上面写着“牛奶喝完了，记得买”——这是信息。冰箱门上的磁贴可能写着“一日三餐要吃好”，这也是信息。电视机遥控器上的按钮旁边有符号，告诉你按这个是开电视，按那个是调音量——符号也是信息哦。还有你房间里的时钟，指针指向八点告诉你该上学了，这也是信息。

Your home is like a treasure chest of information! Look at the sticky notes on the refrigerator that say "Milk is finished—remember to buy some"—that's information. The magnets on the fridge might have messages like "Eat well for all three meals," and that's information too. The symbols next to the buttons on the TV remote tell you which button turns the TV on and which one changes the volume—symbols are information too. And the clock in your room pointing to eight o'clock tells you it's time for school—that's information as well.

在学校 At School

学校是另一个信息聚集的大本营。教室里，黑板上老师写的字是信息，投影仪上放的幻灯片是信息，墙上贴的学习海报也是信息。走廊里的指示牌写着“一年级教室往左走”，这是信息帮助我们找到方向。下课铃响的时候，铃声告诉你可以休息了——铃声也是一种信息！

School is another information headquarters. In the classroom, the words your teacher writes on the blackboard are information, the slides on the projector are information, and the learning posters on the walls are information. The signs in the hallway that say "Grade One Classroom, Turn Left" help us find our way—signs are information. And when the bell rings at recess, the sound tells you it's time for a break—sound is information too!

在马路上 On the Street

走出家门，信息就更多了。交通信号灯的红灯停、绿灯行是信息，告诉所有人和车辆该怎么行动。公交站牌上写着“207路公交车，开往火车站”，这是信息帮助你找到要坐的车。路边的广告牌上画着一支美味的冰淇淋，下面写着“清凉一夏”——这也是信息，即使它在试图说服你买冰淇淋。路人的对话、汽车的鸣笛声、行人的脚步声，所有这些声音都在传递信息。

Once you step outside, there's even more information to discover. The red light means stop and the green light means go at traffic signals—information that tells everyone how to act. Bus stop signs say "Route 207, Destination: Train Station"—information that helps you find the right bus. Advertisements on billboards showing a delicious ice cream cone with the words "Cool Summer" are also information, even though they're trying to convince you to buy ice cream. Conversations between passersby, car horns, footsteps—all these sounds carry information.

在手机里 On Your Phone

如果你有机会用爸爸妈妈的手机（当然要在大人监督下哦），你会发现一个信息的大世界。手机屏幕上显示的时间是信息，天气软件告诉你今天多少度是信息，游戏里的得分是信息，爸爸妈妈发来的消息更是信息。甚至手机收到新通知时跳出来的提示，都是在告诉你“有新消息了”。APP图标下面的数字“3”告诉你有三条未读消息，这也是信息。

If you ever use your parents' phone (with adult supervision, of course!), you'll discover a whole world of information. The time displayed on the screen is information. The weather app telling you today's temperature is information. Your game score is information. Messages from your parents are definitely information. Even the little notification that pops up saying "New message!" is information telling you something has arrived. And that little red "3" badge on an app icon tells you there are three unread messages—that's information too.

四种主要的信息 {#four-types-of-information}

科学家和老师们把信息分成了四大类，就像把玩具分类放进不同的盒子里一样。这样的分类可以帮助我们更好地理解和认识信息。

Scientists and teachers have grouped information into four main categories, just like sorting toys into different boxes. This kind of sorting helps us understand and recognize information better.

文字信息 {#text-information}

第一种是文字信息。文字信息就是用文字、字母、数字和标点符号组成的信息。文字可能是最常见的信息形式了。

The first type is text information. Text information is made up of words, letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Text is probably the most common form of information.

你一定见过很多很多文字信息吧？比如妈妈写给你的小纸条“放学后去奶奶家”，比如数学书上的题目“3加5等于几”，比如零食袋子上写的配料表“配料：小麦粉、糖、植物油”，比如故事书里的一行字“今天天气真好，小熊决定去森林里探险”。这些都是文字信息。

You've definitely seen lots of text information, right? Like the little note your mom writes you: "Go to grandma's house after school." Like the math problem in your textbook: "What is 3 plus 5?" Like the ingredient list on a snack bag: "Ingredients: wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil." Like a line from a storybook: "The weather was wonderful today, and Little Bear decided to explore the forest." All of these are text information.

文字信息的好处是你可以反复看，慢慢看，遇到不懂的字还可以查字典。不过呢，文字信息也有个小缺点——如果你不认字，那就看不懂啦！所以小朋友们要好好学习认字，这样就能读懂更多的文字信息了。

The good thing about text information is that you can read it again and again, take your time, and look up words you don't know in the dictionary. But text information also has a small disadvantage—if you can't read, you won't understand it! That's why little friends should study hard to learn characters, so you can read and understand more text information.

图片信息 {#picture-information}

第二种是图片信息。图片信息就是用图画、照片、图表等形式传递的信息。有时候，一张图片能说出一千个字呢！

The second type is picture information. Picture information is information conveyed through drawings, photographs, charts, and other visual forms. Sometimes, one picture can say a thousand words!

想想看，你见过哪些图片信息呢？交通标志上画着一个小孩背着书包，这就是“注意前方有学校”的意思；地图上画着蓝色的波浪线，那是河流；天气预报里的太阳图标，表示今天是大晴天；妈妈手机里的照片，记录着你上周过生日的样子；墙上的世界地图，告诉你中国在哪里、美国在哪里。这些都是图片信息。

Think about it—what kinds of picture information have you seen? The traffic sign with a picture of a child carrying a schoolbag means "Watch out, there's a school ahead." The blue wavy lines on a map represent rivers. The sun icon in a weather forecast means it will be sunny today. The photos on your mom's phone record your birthday party from last week. The world map on the wall shows you where China is and where America is. These are all picture information.

图片信息有个特别棒的地方——即使你不懂某种语言，只要你会看图，就能理解很多信息！所以全世界的机场都用同样的图片标志来告诉旅客洗手间在哪里、哪里是出口。图片信息是全世界人民都能看懂的“无字天书”。

One wonderful thing about picture information is that even if you don't speak a certain language, as long as you can read pictures, you can understand lots of information! That's why airports all around the world use the same picture signs to tell travelers where the restrooms are and where the exits are. Picture information is like a "wordless book" that people from all over the world can read.

声音信息 {#sound-information}

第三种是声音信息。声音信息就是通过各种声音来传递的信息。我们的耳朵就是接收声音信息的“接收器”。

The third type is sound information. Sound information is information delivered through various sounds. Our ears are the "receivers" that pick up sound information.

你的生活里充满了声音信息。早上七点的闹钟响起来，“叮铃铃”的声音告诉你该起床了；学校里的铃声“铛——铛——”响起，告诉你上课或者下课了；妈妈在厨房炒菜，“滋滋滋”的声音告诉你菜快熟了；下雨的时候，窗外“滴